Inuyasha's Necklace
by GoldenUsagi
Summary: Two one-shots I tied together. Inuyasha's necklace seemed specially designed for him to wear, and specially designed for Kagome to use. Coincidence? And what happens to the necklace's power when Inuyasha turns human?
1. Spell of a Priestess

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha and am in no way associated with its owners, so please don't sue me._

_Added A/N: Weird, but I wrote this long before episodes 147-48 aired._

* * *

_The Past Past:_

Kaede walked into the hut and set her basket of herbs down. She stared to call for Kikyou, but stopped when she saw her sister sitting on the floor, her form only an outline in the dim morning light. Kikyou was focusing on something, her head bowed and her hands in front of her. Kaede stood and watched, wishing that someday she could be a great miko like her sister.

Kikyou was in deep concentration, casting some sort of spell. She began chanting under her breath, and beads that were scattered on the floor began to glow. They suddenly rose into the air, flying around Kikyou several times before floating in an odd arrangement in front of her. She quickly moved her fingers in a complex pattern, and the beads moved to hover by her face, forming a circle. As she clapped her hands together, the beads shone a brilliant purple for an instant before they fell lifelessly to the floor. Kikyou put her hands in her lap and then raised her head. She looked to the floor, and then to the door where Kaede stood.

"Did you see me make the rosary?"

"Yes, it was very good! But what was it, nee-sama?"

"It's a special subduing spell," Kikyou answered, rising to her feet. She picked up the beads, now bound together with magic. "One can put a spell like this onto many things, but I chose this rosary." She handed Kaede the beads to look at.

"But what's it for?"

"Inuyasha."

"The demon?"

"The half-demon," her sister corrected.

"Yes, but he's tried to steal the Shikon jewel so many times! Why don't you kill him? He's going to attack us again!"

"Inuyasha doesn't need to be killed. He's never tried to harm anyone when he's come after the jewel. If he becomes a problem, I'll use the rosary on him." Her sister's voice softened, and it sounded almost sad. "And I have no wish to kill someone so like myself. He's trapped into his place by the world." Kikyou looked down for a moment, before she took the rosary and hung it on a peg. "Now, Kaede," she said, brightening, "let's see what herbs you found. I'll tell you about the charms they can be used in."

"Even subduing ones?"

"If you like. They're much too complicated for you to do now, but I can tell you how they work."

Kaede happily picked up the basket of herbs, and followed her sister outside.

The beads hung on their peg, never used and eventually almost forgotten.

* * *

_The Present Past:_

Kaede rushed back into her hut to get her bow and arrows, and whatever other talismans she could quickly grab. It was the most dangerous thing that had happened in the village in years, and she wasn't sure that her powers would truly be enough. The strange girl Kagome had disappeared into the night with the centipede demon not far behind her. Kaede took several demon wardings and started out the door, before something glistening in the firelight caught her eye.

The last thing that Kikyou had made before she died—a rosary of purple beads. It still hung on the same peg that Kikyou had left it on, untouched. It was useless in their current situation, as the spell was cast specifically for Inuyasha, who was long sealed. Kaede had only kept it because she couldn't bring herself to dispose of the last things that her sister's fingers had touched.

She started out the door, but she turned around and grabbed the rosary as an afterthought. There was something odd about the girl who looked so much like Kikyou. She had just run into the forest and could even see its aura, and had been mysteriously discovered next to Inuyasha himself that very day. Then there was the possibility that the jewel itself was in this world again, though Kagome said that she had no knowledge of it.

Kaede almost put the rosary back, but holding the beads seemed to calm the eeriness that she felt. She quickly tucked it into her clothing. Then she went to where the men were waiting and climbed on her horse, leading the party into the night.


	2. Beads on a Human

It was the darkest part of the night, and Inuyasha sat a short distance away from his sleeping companions. He could never sleep on nights when he was human, so he had volunteered to keep watch. They were all resting comfortably, or as near as he could tell.

He wasn't able to pick up on anything while in this form—it seemed that he could barely see, hear, or (especially) smell a thing. Inuyasha sometimes wondered how the others could sleep so easily. Then he answered his own question—they didn't know any better. They didn't know what it was like for him, to be like this—how restless it made him, how exposed it made him feel.

But this night was unusually quiet. Not that that wasn't good; it meant that they wouldn't have to fight for their lives this time. Every other night that he had been human, there had been something after them. So he was somewhat expecting the peace to be broken any minute now.

Inuyasha brushed the hair out of his eyes, and stuck a piece of it behind his ear, something that felt odd, since he usually couldn't do it. As he moved his hand back down, it brushed against the rosary around his neck.

A sudden realization struck him. Kagome had never used the beads on him when he was human. They had either been too busy fighting demons to get into an argument themselves, or he had been too withdrawn to want to talk about anything, much less anything that would get him sat. He wondered if the beads would even work when he was human.

Another realization struck him. Inuyasha tentatively grabbed the beads and slowly lifted them, expecting them to magically stop just before they would go over his head. They didn't. He pulled them off and held them in his hands, his mouth falling open in shock.

The rosary was off.

Quickly he looked around to make sure that no one had seen him, and then put the beads back over his head. It wouldn't do for anyone to wake up and notice that they were gone. He would wait until just before the sun came up, and then take them off.

The beads were annoying, but he had gotten used to them. Kagome got mad at him, and that was the quickest way she could retaliate. It was just one of those things. He didn't hate her for it, but it would be nice to have the things off. The look on her face when she said "Sit!" and nothing happened would be priceless. He'd be able to do whatever he wanted. Not that he was planning anything horrible, but he wouldn't have to worry about getting sat ever again.

The rest of the night passed quietly, oddly enough. No insane demon wandered across their path, no henchman of Naraku's appeared, and no one wanting his blood arrived. On the whole, it was one of the more pleasant times that he had become human.

The sky began to lighten, and Inuyasha waited. Anxiously, nervously waited, afraid that one of the others would wake up. But they didn't. Just a few moments before the sunrise, he pulled the beads over his head, and flung them as far away as possible. He resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

Then the sun peeked over the horizon, and he felt his strength return and his senses sharpen. It was done. Now he just had to make sure they got moving as soon as everyone woke up. Hopefully by the time anyone noticed that the rosary was missing, they would be too far away to ever find it again. Then there would be nothing that they could do about it.

A sudden movement in the grass caught his attention. Inuyasha crouched and got ready for whatever was coming out of it, not about to let it spoil his good mood.

His eyes widened in stunned horror as he saw what rose up out of the grass. He stared open-mouthed, considering just bolting, but it was too late. There was no way that he could escape what was coming. Glowing beads flung themselves at the once again half-demon, arranging in a circle around his neck. Inuyasha tugged frantically at the beads, but they held fast, not moving an inch over his head.

"KUUSOOO!" the cry echoed through the still morning air.

Which immediately woke up all of the more alert sleepers. Kirara was standing, looking around for a possible enemy. Sango was drowsily reaching for her weapon, and Miroku sat upright. Shippou stirred only a bit, and Kagome remained asleep.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked worriedly, looking around.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep."

Inuyasha sighed. So close, and yet so far.


End file.
